West Island kind to newcomers

BY MARC LALONDE

Marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca

The West Island is not only a great place for kids and families, but it’s a great place to be in business, said the owner of a chemical company that makes composite sandwich panels for industrial use in the manufacture of boats, cars and trucks..

After starting up AS Composite in Boucherville, Hossein Borazghi needed more room and space for his burgeoning company.

So in 2006, Borazghi started to scout potential new sites for his company, and with help from the Conseil Local de Developpement and new industrial commissioner Gerry Arsenault and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the company moved to a facility on Brunswick Boulevard in Pointe Claire in November ‘06.

“We had to move. The reason we chose the West Island was because financially, it made the most sense,” Borazghi said.

The company met with immediate success, garnering two Accolades awards from the West Island Chamber of Commerce, in the High Technology category and the Manufacturing (less than 50 employees) category.

“It was very exciting for us, to get those in our first year.”

In that respect, the company’s path very much mirrors the one Borazghi took when he and his family arrived in Canada from Iran 12 years ago.

“When we first arrived here, we lived in Dorval. The biggest adjustment? The whole country. Canada is a whole lot different from Iran,” he said.

An Ile Bizard resident for the last ten years, Borazghi said growing up in the West Island was great for his son, now 17.

“The West Island community, I like it very much. You have everything you need here. Life is a little bit less rushed and I like the calm space. My son went to school here in the West Island. You’ve got everything here and you don’t need to go downtown.”

It’s also a good place for an entrepreneur to start a business, Borazghi added.

“I feel it’s a great place to be a businessman. The Chamber of Commerce and the CLD have both proved invaluable to our development and the city of Pointe Claire has been a very willing partner also,” he said.

Would he recommend the West Island to others looking for a place to settle down and call home?

“Of course. It’s a great place for immigrants to come. It’s all about families here, and that’s a comfort.”